Rotary cutter.



R. R. HIND- ROTARY CUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED 050.1. m1.

Patented July 23, 1918.

1n: co. rnomuma. wunmamn. o. c.

7N1 SATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT BENTON HIND, 0F HONOLULU, TnRRrrOnY OF HAWAII.

ROTARY CUTTER.

To all whom it may concern 1 Be it known that I, Romnrr BENTON Him), a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of. Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in'ltotary Gutters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use thesamea The invention relates to rotary cutters for comminuting cane, corn. stalks and other vegetable matter, and has for its object to provide an apparatus of the kind described, in whiclrthe knives are so constructiul and arranged as to materially reduce the liability of fracture, even when operating at high speeds, which will admitof the knives being spaced atany desired intervals upon the supporting shaft and of the individual knives being regularly spaced peripherally about the shaft, and the entire device assembled aspa rigid structure, in which the liability of any of the parts. working loose is practically eliminated,the whole constituting a simple, durable and efficient apparatus in which the individual parts may be readily replaced orinterchanged.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is .a vertical elevatiompartly in section, of the improved cutter with the central portion thereof broken away.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a detail of the shaft construction.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of one of the knives, and

Fig. 4t is an end view of the cutter.

Referrin to the drawings, 1 indicates a shaft, preferably cylindrical, having near its ends journal sections 2, 2, and provided at its middle with a flange or collar 3, either formed integrally with the shaft or secured rigidly thereto, as by Welding. To one end of the shaft is secured a coupling member (5 by means of which the shaft is secured to a suitable driving device.

Each of the knife elements consists of a body portion 10, provided with a cent-a1 perforation 11 which closely embraces the shaft 1, said body portion being provided with opposite cutting edges 12, which are preferably disposed in curved relation to produce a draw out, as said edges engage the cane or other material to be cut or comminuted. The knives are preferably made Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 23,1918. Application filed December 1, 1917. Serial No. 204,821.

of sheet steel and are Of uniform thickness throughout, except at the cutting edges, which are necessarily beveled, which renders the individual knives of substantially uniform strength throughout and materially reduces the tendency of the knives to rupture, which is a common fault in similar devices in which the knives are attached to individualhub sections. As shown, each knife includestwo oppositely disposed blade sections,but it will be understood that, if desired, each knife may include a larger 'number of radially disposed blade sections. Surrounding the central opening 11, in each knife, is a'series of bolt holes 13, which afl'ord means for locking the knives rigidly to the shaft 1, as will be hereinafter explained.

The knives are mounted in regular order longitudinally of the shaft so that the blades of successive knives are disposed in definite angular relation, as for example, at angular distances of 90 .in the form shown, and be tween each successive pair of knives, there disposed a distance piece or washer element 17, which is provided with perforations 18 which register with the perforations 13 in the individual knives and are adapted to receive through bolts 20, which latter also pass through registering openings 4; in the central collar or flange 3 rigid with the shaft so that the bolts 20. serve to lock the knives and the distance pieces separating the same, rigidly to the shaft.

Against the outer face of each of the end knives, there is placed a removable washer or collar 15, which is similarly provided with openings registering with the openings 13 of the knives and 18 of the washers to receive the bolts 20, the ends of which bolts are tl'ircaded to receive suitable locking nuts 21. Each of the washers 15 is provided with a key way 19 to receive a key 16, which latter is provided with a curved edge to engage a registering key way 5 in the shaft so that when said keys 16 are driven in place, the knives are rigidly locked to the shaft by means of the keys 16 adjacent the ends of the series of knives and also by the engagement of the through bolts 20 with the rigid flange or collar 3.

In assembling the apparatus, the bolts 20 are passed through the holes at in the collar 3 and the knives and Washers 17 are then threaded on the shaft and the bolts 20, in the relation shown in Fig. 1, one-half the number of knives and distance pieces or washers being applied from each end of the shaft. When. the appropriate number of knives and washers have been thus assembled, the end washers are applied and engaged With the bolts, after which the nuts .21 are set up .to ,drawthe knives andchangeable and'shoul'd'any one or more of them become damaged, it is lonly necessary tofremove the knives and washersbetween the same and the endsof the shaft, after which the damaged knife may be removed and'an'other substituted therefor, and the remaining knives ofthe series replaced.

In cutters of this generalclass, the very heavy side thrust due to the passage 'of'the knives through the cane or otherinaterial to be cut, tends to break or rupture the knives at their pointof juncture with the hub sections. The present construction, however, in which the knives are of uniform thickness and strength obviates this diflicu'lty and practically eliminate any tendency of the knives to break under ordinary conditions of usage.- The construction also admits of the, knife shaft beingdi rectly connected to a high speed engine or motor, sothat the knives may be driven at Gopiesbf this patent may be obtained for a much higher rate of speed than has been permissible heretofore. v The. employment of the multiple through "bolts to lock the knives to the shaft avoids the usual form of key seat in the shaft, which weakens the latter. The elimination of the key seat the individual knives admits ofthe'knives being used interchangeably and also avoids weakening the knives at thepoint where the usual key seat is formed; The rigidity of in the fixed collar, the knives and the Washers.

2. A rotary cutter comprising ashaft, a-

fixed collar and end collars thereon, a'series of knives having central 1 perforations engagingthe shaft on each side of said fixed collar, spacing washers separating the knives, bolts passing through registerii'ig openings in the fixed collar, the end collars, the knives and the washers, and means 1 0- tatably connecting said shaft and the end collars yet permitting longitudinal movement of said collars on said shaft.

In testimony whereof IafliX my signature.

ROBERT BENTON 'five cents each,by'addres sing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. G. i 

